Dr. Anthony Fauci has indicacated that officials may bring back mask mandates, even for those who are vaccinated. He blamed unvaccinated Americans for this likely shift, saying they are taking the country “in the wrong direction” by refusing the experimental vaccines.
His comments were made on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday. He told CNN’s Jake Tapper, “If you look at the inflection of the curve of new cases and, as you said in the run-in to this interview, that it is among the unvaccinated. And since we have 50 percent of the country that is not fully vaccinated, that’s a problem.” Fauci added, “This is an issue predominantly among the unvaccinated, which is the reason why we’re out there, practically pleading with the unvaccinated people to go out and get vaccinated.”
Fauci was asked about bringing back mask mandates, even for those who have been vaccinated. He said, “You know, Jake, this is under active consideration. If you’re asking, am I part of the discussion? Yes, I am part of the discussion. But I think what you are seeing, even though as of our conversation at this moment, the CDC still says and recommends that if you are vaccinated fully, that you do not need to wear a mask indoors.”
But, with Fauci it is never as simple as that. Remember, this is the man who first said not to wear masks, then said to wear a mask, then said it would be good to wear two masks. His reasoning (if this writer may misuse that word to describe anything about Fauci’s thought processes) was that “the science is evolving.”
So, after stating that “the CDC still says and recommends that if you are vaccinated fully, that you do not need to wear a mask indoors,” Fauci went on to praise cities, such as Los Angeles and Chicago, that are requiring masks even for the vaccinated, saying, “We’re seeing that in LA. We’re seeing that in Chicago. We’re seeing that in New Orleans,” Fauci said. “The officials there, many of them are saying even if you are vaccinated, it’s prudent to wear a mask indoors.”
This is not inconsistent, Fauci says, because the CDC grants that latitude to local governments:
However, if you look at what’s going on locally in the trenches, in places like L.A. County, the local officials have the discretion, and the CDC agrees with that ability and discretion capability to say, you know, you’re in a situation where we’re having a lot of dynamics of infection. Even if you are vaccinated, you should wear a mask.
That’s a local decision that’s not incompatible with the CDC’s overall recommendations that give a lot of discretion to the locals. And we’re going to see that in L.A. We’re seeing it in Chicago. We’re seeing that in New Orleans because the officials there, many of them are saying even if you’re vaccinated, it’s prudent to wear a mask indoors. That’s a local decision.
Fauci described himself as “very frustrated” and said, “We’re going in the wrong direction.” The blame, said Fauci, is laid squarely at the feet of those unvaccinated people who are spreading the virus to vaccinated people. Thus, even the vaccinated may be required to mask up again.
There are two points that need to be made here. The first, and most obvious to anyone not suffering from mask-induced oxygen deprivation leading to reduced brain function, is this: If the vaccines are efficacious, they should protect the vaccinated regardless of the risks the unvaccinated choose to take. This is simple: If Bill is vaccinated, and the vaccine works, Dan’s decision not to be vaccinated does not put Bill at risk. Ergo, Bill should not need to mask up. Period.
The second point is that this is a prime example of group manipulation. It is similar to a military commander telling his enlisted men, “I was going to give you all leave this weekend, but Private Jones didn’t shine his boots properly, so I am canceling leave and will have you all polishing your boots over the weekend.” The net result is that Jones is now hated by everyone else and will learn to polish his boots to avoid this ever happening again.
The clear and obvious objective here is to pressure everyone to get vaccinated. By forcing even those who have taken the experimental shot to wear masks — while blaming those who have not — Fauci drives a wedge deeper into society and creates a situation where the vaccinated will ramp up the pressure and the unvaccinated will feel the need to cave to that peer pressure. But remember your father’s lesson to resist peer pressure? Most of us were taught to avoid experimenting with drugs, even if all our friends were doing it.
Not only did Fauci praise cities forcing masks on the vaccinated, he also praised “leaders” who are pushing the party line where vaccines are concerned. He singled out Republican governors Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas and Ron DeSantis of Florida, as well as House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), for working to pressure their constituents to get the shots. He added, “What I would really like to see is more and more of the leaders in those areas that are not vaccinating to get out and speak out and encourage people to get vaccinated.”
Make no mistake, masks will likely return — even for those who have taken the experimental shot. But there are two things that need to be understood. First, mask mandates only work if people play along. If people simply say, “Nope. Been there, done that. Not doing it again,” politicians who require our votes to keep their jobs will likely back down. Second, this is a naked power play. By pitting Americans against one another, Fauci and his ilk hope to pressure the unvaccinated to become the vaccinated. But his plan could backfire. After all, the vaccinated were promised freedom from COVID restrictions if they would just take the shots. Reneging on that promise may leave Fauci as the recipient of the vaccinated’s frustration.
